But the '60s-set comedy is energized by a quartet of fresh faces joining High School Musical sensation Zac Efron. "They are revelations," Travolta says. USA TODAY gives the lowdown on the Hairspray kids, with comments from director Adam Shankman.

If you ever went to a Cold Stone Creamery on Long Island, she might have
been your scooper. In other words, she is making her film debut.

Hairspray role:

Tracy Turnblad, a chubby dance-floor dynamo who doesn't let her size stop
her from being a local TV star, marching for civil rights or getting the
cute guy.

How she describes Tracy:

"Tracy is a force of nature, and all I had to do is just let Tracy
come out."

How long has she been performing?

"I've been singing since I was 3. The only dance training I've had is
ballet lessons for two months when I was 5. But whenever I've gone to
parties, I always had to be on the dance floor."

What's it like to see herself on a giant screen?

"There is a close-up shot of just my butt. And I said, 'Well, I'm not
going to hate it, because it is my butt and I embrace myself.' It's fine.
But how many other people can say their butt filled up a 70-foot screen?"

Worst bad-hair experience:

"Bangs. I loved having bangs as Tracy. But as Nikki, I have very kinky,
curly hair. Blowing out bangs in the morning is like pulling teeth."

How was kissing Zac Efron?

"A lady never kisses and tells, but all I'm going to say is it did not
disappoint, and I hope I didn't, either."

If she were to do another movie musical, which would she choose?

"Mary Poppins. In Hairspray, I'm on top of a garbage truck,
so I think I would be fine with flying with an umbrella."

What's next?

"I want to make more movies comedies, musicals, dramas.
And I want to keep singing. Singing is my first love."

Shankman's take:

"The role is a Cinderella-slipper fit. When she walked on the set for
the first time, it was if she had been doing it for 30 years. It was like
watching Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl."

New Line Cinema

Amanda Bynes, 21

How you know her:

Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show (1999-02) and WB sitcom What I
Like About You (2002-06). Films include Big Fat Liar (2002),
She's the Man (2006).

"Usually, I'm the confident, go-getter Tracy girl. To sit back and react
to a scene and then become a woman at the end was a lot of fun."

How she handled all those lollipops:

"It was good for me, but bad for my dad, who is a retired dentist. The
day my parents came to the set, I went through about 40 or 50. My dad
asked, 'You're not actually eating them, are you?' I told him it's all
part of the job."

How she liked her '60s outfits:

"I wore one shirt that was vintage. When I started sweating, it smelled
like the '60s."

Worst bad-hair experience:

"When I was 15, I got a haircut from a famous hairstylist in L.A. She
gave me a short shag. I'm a Jewish girl with curly hair. When it dried
naturally, it was atrocious."

If she were to do another movie musical, which would she choose?

"I like Jersey Boys. There is a girl role, the one who falls for
Frankie Valli."

What's next?

Film comedy Sydney White. "It's Snow White in college."

Shankman's take:

"She is like a young Lucille Ball."

New Line Cinema

Brittany Snow, 21

How you know her:

American Bandstand fan Meg on NBC's American Dreams
(2002-05). Appeared in such films as 2005's The Pacifier and last
year's John Tucker Must Die.

Hairspray role:

Amber Van Tussle, the dance queen of The Corny Collins Show and
Tracy's foe.

How she describes Amber:

"I wanted to play her differently than Michelle Pfeiffer (who is her scheming
mother, Velma). Not so malicious and evil, but spoiled. She feels entitled
to the attention."

Was it a problem doing another project about a dance show?

"They are such different takes on the '60s. American Dreams is
based in historical events. Hairspray is an amplified version of
the era."

Worst bad-hair experience:

"When I was in middle school in Florida, I had very curly hair. I hadn't
discovered mousse or gel yet. I would brush it out like Tina Turner. It
didn't even fit in my yearbook photo. I didn't learn how to manage it
until I moved to L.A."

If she were to do another movie musical, which would she choose?

"I love Les Miz. Or maybe Legally Blonde. My friend Laura
Bell Bundy is Elle Woods on Broadway. She was my aunt on The Guiding
Light and was the original Amber in Hairspray. Maybe she can
keep passing parts on to me."

What's next?

"Right now, I'm in New Orleans filming Black Water Transit. It's
about lives in the aftermath of Katrina. It's my third prostitute role
since Hairspray. I'm also in Prom Night, the remake of the
Jamie Lee Curtis movie."

Shankman's take:

"She's the only one without any of her character's personality traits.
She is the sweetest, nicest, most considerate and open girl in the world."

"Everything in my repertoire singing, dancing, piano
and drums is all God-given talent. I took one dance
class when I was 10, but just to meet a girl. I've been singing all my
life in a family gospel group."

Who invented Seawood's sexy dance?

"Jamal Sims (the associate choreographer). When he first danced it for
me, I was, 'OK, I'm going to have to have a stunt double.' "

Worst bad-hair experience:

"I let a guy I didn't know cut a fade on me. Half my head was lighter
on the side than on the top."

Did he wear a wavy wig?

"Not at all. It was permed. My mom joked, 'I don't know about now, but
you would be cute in the '60s.' "

If he were to do another movie musical, which would he choose?

"My all-time favorite is Fiddler on the Roof. But they would have
to put a drum set up there. It would be Drummer on the Roof."

What's next?

"Party Up. Like Ferris Bueller's Day Off crossed with House
Party." Also, a Sammy Davis Jr. biopic is in the works.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.

Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article.
Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.